Stolen Vehicle Crashes on Highway 62 (Photo)

At 9:02 am, an employee of World Famous Autos in Medford reported the theft of a dark blue 1999 Chevy Tahoe from the sales lot. An employee later located the stolen vehicle and provided information to dispatch as he followed it toward White City.

At 9:21 am, a deputy spotted the stolen vehicle in the area of Corey Road and McLoughlin Drive, where the male driver appeared to be involved in a "road rage" incident with another driver. When the deputy tried to contact the driver of the stolen vehicle, he drove away at a high rate of speed toward Crater Lake Avenue. The driver continued south on Crater Lake Avenue with the deputy in pursuit.

Another deputy attempted to stop the stolen vehicle just before Vilas Road, but he was unable to deploy spike strips before the stolen vehicle passed. The driver of the stolen vehicle drove onto the unpaved median separating Crater Lake Avenue and Crater Lake Highway, and then southbound on the northbound side of the highway. Deputies terminated the pursuit due to the driver's reckless behavior. They lost sight of the stolen vehicle as it continued on Crater Lake Highway toward Medford.

A short time later, a crash was reported approximately one mile away at the intersection of Highway 62 and Coker Butte Road. The stolen vehicle struck a white Ford pickup with a single male occupant. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage. Deputies and officers provided aid until medics arrived on scene. The suspect was taken into custody. He and the victim were both transported to the hospital with visible injuries. Their conditions are not known at this time.

Medford Police, Oregon State Police, and ODOT responded to the scene. OSP will be the lead agency in the investigation. Highway closure updates can be found at www.tripcheck.com.
Further information will be released from OSP.